The Mynci Squad: Part Two

When the squad arrived at the Kougra Crew's den, the Mynci
Squad was loaded with cans full of colorful paint and minds full of anger. They
walked closely together in their small mob; frowns and glares were common as they
approached the large cave.

There was a flickering yellow light coming from
inside the den; apparently the Kougras were inside congregating with a fire
to light up the dark cave. Mono could hear faint laughter from the shadowy depths
of the warren.

"Let's do this," Liza growled, stirring her paint
brush in the violet paint resting in the canister. She pulled the brush from
the can and gazed at it malevolently as it dripped violet gobs of paint.

Lance nodded and gabbed hold of his own paint
brush-it was full of bright yellow paint-and started flinging the yellow drops
onto the den. Liza copied him and soon all of the Myncies were flinging multicolored
paints onto the cave, and presently it was covered in vibrant shades of the
substance.

Soon the Myncies had gotten so into this activity
that they were yelling and cheering with every fling of paint thrown at the
Kougras' den. It was obvious to Mono that the Kougras would hear their ridiculous
cries and actions, but he was also caught up in the moment as were they all,
and so Mono realized that he didn't really care; he just wanted revenge.

Indeed the Kougras soon came running outside
into the twilight - it had been hours since the Mynci Squad first discovered
their paint-covered tree house. The largest Kougra - a Tyrannian male with an
intense scowl on his face - led the other Kougras out of the den.

"Hey!" he cried, looking around in dismay, the
scowl never leaving his face. "What's going on here?" he looked directly at
Mono, but Keegan was the one to answer.

Mono nodded and followed the King, Pepper trailing
behind. They were led into a room lit up by a lantern burning in the middle.
There were colorful cushions and blankets spread across the dirt floor of the
room-it had an air of true comfort and ease. But Mono felt no ease. He only
felt disdain toward what he had allowed his club to do.

The Kougra King sat down on a large, plump pillow,
and Mono and Pepper each chose a pillow of their own in front of him. Mono started
feeling uneasy-this Kougra seemed much more old and mature; his club was much
more established than the Mynci Squad.

"Now," the King said, staring carefully at Mono
and Pepper, who seemed to be cowering. "First things first. I am called Shvon,
and I am the king of my club, the Kougra Crew." He seemed to have the slight
accent that many residents of Mystery Island have.

He looked at Mono and Pepper expectantly. Pepper
seemed to be in too much shock to speak up, so Mono took charge.

"I'm Mono, and this is Pepper," he said, waving
his hand toward the spotted Mynci. "We're the co-leaders of the Mynci Squad."

"It is a pleasure to meet you," Shvon said politely,
although his eyes seemed to remain cold and hard. He was clearly furious at
the duo for what they had done. "Now can you please tell me what the cause is
for this vandalism of our home?"

Mono took a deep, shaky breath. He felt so much
guilt now, and he was finding it difficult to explain his actions. However,
right as he was about to attempt to explain, Pepper spoke up.

"You ruined our home first," she said defensively,
her eyes watering slightly. "So we were paying you back."

Mono looked at Shvon for a reaction, but was
met only with that continuous cold, hard stare.

"And how do you believe we ruined your home?"
he inquired, keeping his voice steady and calm.

"We found our newly built tree house covered
in paint," said Mono. "And Liza found your symbol painted on a nearby tree."

"Our symbol?"

"Yes," said Pepper. "The letters 'KC' with Kougra
whiskers and ears."

"Indeed that is our symbol," Shvon said, nodding
slightly. "But why it was on that tree, I do not know. We would never do such
a thing to a new club-or, for that matter, any club. We respect how much effort
you put into your headquarters; therefore we would never ruin it."

Shvon bowed his head and closed his eyes for
a brief moment. His ear twitched slightly.

"I believe it was a club that I hoped I would
never see again," he said quietly.

"What club?" Mono asked. "Who are these people?"

"They are another species-specific club, also
based in Mystery Island. They are a very old club, and three years ago they
gave us much trouble-we were first starting the Kougra Crew, and we were the
only other species-specific club. This club's pride was being the only one,
and we took that away.

"Once our den had been found and we were holding
our first meeting inside, these tyrants came out of nowhere. They were like
shadows, as invisible as the wind and as quiet as the moon. They blocked out
the entrance to our den, trapping us inside.

"Luckily we were overstocked with food and beverages,
because we didn't know how many members we would end up with. (It turned out
only about twelve showed up that day, while we were expecting at least twenty).
So, although we were terrified and in the dark due to our lantern burning out,
we were able to survive for a few days.

"During those days we began to wonder and brainstorm
how to escape. Since we were surrounded by solid rock we decided we wouldn't
be able to dig an escape tunnel. After hours of talking about it we realized
our only way of escaping was actually socializing with these creatures.

"So we made our way back to the entrance, but
we were still blanketed in darkness, and were still unfamiliar with the cavern's
tunnels, so we hardly had any idea of which way was up or down. But we managed
to make it back to the entrance, and we eventually got the attention of these
tyrants by pounding on the boulder they had placed before the entrance. They
opened it up just enough so we could see one of their yellow eyes.

"I ended up making a bargain with them-I bought
them five Shadow Paint Brushes, using almost all of my money. In return they
promised never to bother us again. After our release I caught a glimpse of one
of them-he was a black lizard-a shadow Techo. And now, three years later, it
seems they are back. And they've tried to turn our clubs against each other."

"But who are they?" Pepper asked worriedly.

"They call themselves the Shadow Clan," Shvon
replied. "But they are known by others as the Techo Tyrants, due to their uncanny
desire for power and control. They will do anything to stay on top.

"These Tyrants require two things of their members.
They must be Techos, and they must be shadow colored. Many Neopets have gone
as far as used a Morphing Potion just to join the clan. And once they join,
they cannot quit; they must continue participating in the clan's devious activities.
It's a hard life, but the rewards for these Techos are grand; any previously
unknown or disliked Neopet gets to be a part of a seemingly more important whole,
and it is a clan that thousands of Techos - and other Neopets for that matter
- aspire to. The club continues to grow and thrive, and apparently they also
continue to cause trouble."

Pepper covered her face with trembling fingers.

"So what can we do?" Mono asked nervously. "This
clan seems to be bigger and stronger than either of our clubs, as well as much
more powerful."

"Indeed they are," Shvon replied gravely. "We'll
need to plan what to do, but for now all I can think of is form an alliance
with each other, so that we're as powerful as possible."

Mono nodded and turned to Pepper.

"Sounds good to me," he said. "Pepper?"

Pepper just nodded. The poor Mynci was still
in shock from the whole ordeal.

"Good," said Shvon. "Now it's time to talk to
our clubs."

The trio exited the den and greeted their clubs
separately, telling them what was what. At first the Myncies were upset, since
many still believed the Kougras were responsible for ruining their house, and
the Kougras were definitely skeptical, which was predictable and understandable
since the Myncies were the ones who had covered their headquarters in
dripping paint minutes ago. However, once the Myncies and the Kougras learned
about the threat from the Shadow Clan-or, as Shvon had called them, the Techo
Tyrants-both sides seemed to be willing to make the sacrifice of creating an
alliance.

Over the next few days the two clubs met together
to plan their "attack" and fix up the two headquarters. Mono and the Myncies
apologized profusely for their actions, and the Kougras accepted their apologies
with open arms. Eventually there was a tight bond between the clubs, and even
some serious friendships bloomed. But the threat of the Shadow Clan continued
to hang over them, and there was constant tension in the air as if someone would
snap at any given moment.

Finally one day they received a letter from
the Techos.

"Bring ten Shadow Paint to the south bridge
at ten tomorrow evening," Mono read to the intently listening mixture or
Kougras and Myncies. "You know who we are, and we know what you are planning.
Do this or there will be serious consequences."

The Shadow Clan's symbol was stamped on the
back of the paper: a thick black "S" with a silver "C" running through the middle,
all enclosed in a black diamond.

"What does this mean?" Pepper asked worriedly.
"What are the consequences?"

"Kidnapping?!" she exclaimed, bringing her hands
to her brow. "We can't handle kidnapping!"

"Don't worry," said Skye's new best friend,
a Faerie Kougra. "We've dealt with these things before. It's not like the Techo
Tyrants ever kill anyone, they just scare the living daylights out of
people. That's how they gain power; by terrorizing."

"Rissi is right," Shvon said, referring to the
Faerie Kougra. "As long as we keep a cool head about things, we can take care
of it. There's no reason to worry."

"But can't we just buy the things that they
want?" Pepper asked, obviously terrified.

Shvon only chuckled.

"Oh no, not a chance," he said, shaking his
head. "Then they would think that they have control over us."

"But that's what you did three years ago when
they terrorized you," Pepper argued.

"Yes, but we were much weaker then, plus we
had no idea who these shadows were. But now we know, and we are going to deal
with them our own way."

Shvon's fellow Kougras nodded in agreement.

"All right then," Mono said, folding his arms
across his chest. "Let's get started. Where is the Shadow Clan's headquarters?"

The Kougras looked at him in dismay.

"Um... Mono?" whispered Rissi, the Faerie Kougra.
"No one knows."

Mono sighed and rubbed his face with his hands
in a frustrated manner.

"So let me get this straight," he said angrily.
"We don't know who is in this club, and we don't know where the club resides."

The Kougras nodded sadly.

"Then how are we supposed to 'deal'-" he used
his fingers to show the quotation marks "-with this problem?"

"I have a pretty good idea," Shvon said. "Come
to the eastern pond this evening, Mono."

After a brief moment Mono simply nodded, trusting
Shvon, although he had no idea of what the Tyrannian Kougra was up to.